


Excuse the Mess

by areyoukiddingme



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Blood, F/M, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Maids, Pain, Protectiveness, Servants, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 01:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16295324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/areyoukiddingme/pseuds/areyoukiddingme
Summary: "That's Victor Zsasz." Penguin informed her. "He doesn't trust easily.""Oh really?" She dropped her hand, pushing her chair in instead. "I'll have give him reason to trust me then."She raised her eyebrows at him and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.~A girl unwittingly takes the job of 'maid' at Penguin's mansion. When a certain hitman takes an interest in her she discovers that things often get messier before they get tidier.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one is little slow to start, but it does pick up, trust me!

An unassuming car pulled up outside a sprawling mansion, the dark building tall and imposing against an otherwise cheerful blue sky. Inside the car, a woman peered out of the window.

She looked bemused as she slowly wound her way along the dirt track and parked up alongside the building. Stepping out of the vehicle with some hesitation, her eyes fixed on the mansion as she slammed the door behind her. The place looked even more intimidating without the filter of a car window. It was all dark bricks and arched windows and turrets, like something out of a gothic novel. She mentally weighed up the various pros and cons of entering the imposing building; after all, she hadn't really signed up for any of this. From the look of the ad, she had been expecting someone rich, but not this rich.

After a while simply staring up at the formidable building, she shook her head before purposefully walking up the stairs that led to the door. It was worth a shot.

The moment she knocked on the door a burly doorman wrenched it open and stared at her. She wilted under his glare, reaching into her pocket to pull out a rumpled newspaper clipping. He snatched it from her hand and studied it carefully. As he scrutinized her, his expression soured before he nodded and let her pass. She stepped gingerly into the house, crossing ocer the threshold and sealing her immediate fate. The doorman led her past the large entrance hall and through the labyrinthine corridors, far too roughly for someone who was so anxious to follow. Eventually, they came across a long corridort that held another member of security guarding an ornate door. 

This man was pale and bald, but it didn't stop there. As they drew nearer, she could also see his lack of eyebrows and eyelashes. How unusual. He was dressed well, the sharp, masculine lines of his body emphasised by the suit that buttoned up to his neck. Strangely, she found herself more scared of him than the burly doorman. His physique wasn't immediately one to be feared, lithe and angular in contrast to the top-heavy doorman at her side. There was just something about him that told her that he'd have absolutely no issues with driving a bullet through her brain. 

As they approached him, he corrected his posture into something more alert. Before he'd noticed them he had been looking at the ceiling, his expression resigned and noticeably bored. Now she could see his dark eyes and for some reason when he looked directly at her her stomach dropped.

The doorman passed on her newspaper clipping, muttering something to the other man which she couldn't quite make out. As he was muttering, she ventured a glance between the two of them. Unfortunately, she looked at the intimidating bald man at the exact same time he decided to fix his eyes on her. She blushed and looked to the floor as his eyes raked slowly and deliberately up and down her body. His look was far more intense than the other man and she half expected him to refuse her due to some unknown misdemeanor- in the same way you feel self-conscious in front of a policeman despite having never broken the law. 

Once he had inspected her thoroughly, the bald man nodded and opened the door he had been stationed at. He entered the room first, leaving it open for her to walk in after him. When she hesitated, the doorman pushed her back roughly and she stumbled through the doorway. She froze the moment she entered.

The room was long and at the end of it stood a desk, the occupier the reason she now stood catatonic. The Penguin, King of the Underworld in Gotham, looked up and smiled pleasantly. The door closed behind her. She was so shocked that she didnt even notice. Her mind was spinning and her legs felt like concrete. Despite all of this, she forced herself to make her way towards the desk at the far end of the room. When she reached it she leaned forward and shook Penguin's extended hand stiffly. The bald man was standing beside Penguin; she hoped that she just imagined the amusement in his eyes as she fumbled through her greetings.

Penguin gestured at a chair and she sat heavily. Now that she was sitting, she focused on filtering out the terror she felt with every deep, controlled breath. Her mind slowed its spinning and rational thought started to formulate in her brain. Her hands were tingling but she clasped them tightly in her lap, trying to ease the sensation.

"I hear you're after the maid job?" Penguin asked openly, settling back into his chair.

"Yes." She answered shortly.

Penguin looked at her expectantly. She shook her head, her eyebrows furrowing and mouth opening and closing as she struggled for something to say.

"Excuse the apprehension, Mr... uh, Penguin, sir, I'm afraid I wasn't expecting to see you today." She explained quickly, trying to compensate for her odd behaviour. "It didn't specify who put the ad out."

"It didn't?" Penguin's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Now it was the bald man's turn to step forward, placing the crumpled ad in front of his boss.

"It was your idea sir." The man said in a low voice next to Penguin' s ear. "You thought it might put people off."

Penguin picked up the newspaper clipping and inspected it.

"So I did." He continued nonchalantly, setting the ad back down. "Now it seems like the right decision. It certainly would have put you off, wouldn't it, my dear?"

"It would have made me think twice." She expressed nervously.

She was trying her hardest to recover after such a stilted entrance, and he seemed to be buying it.

"So, what kind of experience do you have?"

She had briefly forgotten that she had come for an interview and had to quickly to focus her thoughts to appear more professional. They carried on as if it were a normal interview, her answers making more and more sense as she calmed. She tried to keep her eyes off of the man who stood behind Penguin as he kept his eyes keenly trained on her as she spoke, as if he were waiting for her to slip up and make a mistake. Like all interviews, it was impossible to tell how long she was there before Penguin smiled and leaned back in his chair. 

 "Well done, my dear." Penguin praised her. "You handled yourself very nicely indeed. Any parting questions?"

"Just one, after seeing my potential employer." She broached. "Exactly how likely is it that I'll be caught in crossfire?"

At this, Penguin laughed heartily. She laughed along with him, hiding genuine concern behind her smile. As she pretended to laugh, her eyes strayed to the man at Penguin's shoulder who wasn't smiling. He was merely staring at her evenly. He tipped his head at her, folding his arms. 

"Oh, you needn't worry. You won't be involved in situations like that." Penguin assured her.

He slammed his hand on the table and stood. She jumped before following suit, standing up quickly and taking his extended hand.

"It was pleasant meeting you, Miss...?"

"Walker. Sylvia Walker." She smiled openly, shaking his hand.

"Well then, Miss Walker. I'll be getting back to you."

"Of course." She pushed her chair back, making a move to stand.

Some insane impulse drove her to hold out her hand to the man at Penguin's side. He merely stared at it, keeping his arms tightly folded even with her hand directed towards him.

"That's Victor Zsasz." Penguin informed her. "He doesn't trust easily."

"Oh really?" She dropped her hand, pushing her chair in instead. "I'll have give him reason to trust me then."

She raised her eyebrows at him and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards. Then she came to her senses, nodding at Penguin before making her way to the door. She left the room unsupervised and closed the door gently behind her. 

On the safe side of the door she leaned against it and breathed heavily, her body sagging down the solid wood. It was only when she looked up and saw the long corridor stretching out before her that she remembered she really should have asked for the intimidating man, Victor Zsasz, to accompany her. But she couldn't very well go back into that room, not without making a complete fool of herself. So she walked in the only direction she could, silently cursing herself. It was far better to be wandering unknown corridors than stuck in that huge claustrophobic room with Penguin, at least. 

It took her a couple of wrong turns before she finally found the large entrance hall and the burly doorman who was sat beside the front door, reading a newspaper. She approached him and he stood quickly and wordlessly, opening the door for her. She thanked him meekly and hurried through the open door, making her way to her car as quickly as she could without seeming suspicious.

She slid into her car and jammed the key in the ignition. Her eyes were wild and roving and she was biting her lip harshly. Abruptly, she squealed into her fist, slamming her hand against the dashboard several times before quickly starting up her car. Adrenaline was pumping through her body and at this point she couldn't tell whether she was actually delirious or just terrified from the meeting. As she drove down the dirt path she resolved not to think about this encounter again for a long time.

* * *

Over the next few days, she recovered from the encounter. She kept looking for ads in the paper for any cleaning services needed, but they didn't show up very often nowadays. She already had a job at a school, which she continued as she searched for new jobs, trying to ignore the insufferable conditions. Working in a place like the school almost made her want to work for someone like Penguin.

It didn't help that after that interview she couldn't help feeling ever so slightly paranoid. She found herself looking over her shoulder, searching for men with guns walking in her peripherals. Lying in bed at night she couldn't help but wonder whether she was in danger for knowing where Penguin lived. Was it common knowledge? Would she be tracked down for knowing such a thing? She didn't have any further interest in Penguin, but he didn't know that. She might just be a loose thread in his vast expanse of lies and villainy.

Another long day at the school over and she was on the bus to get home when her phone rang in her bag. She was loathed to be that obnoxious person tono speak loudly into a phone on the bus, but as it was an unknown number she thought she'd answer it. It was either something important, or the least important thing in the world. Then, at least, she could hang up quickly.

"Hello?"

"Miss Walker?"

She had heard it all over the TV and radio at one strange point in Gotham's history. That was Pengin's voice. Her chest constricted and she tried to control her expression for the benefit of the other passengers.

"Yes?" She said tightly.

"I'm calling to let you know you got the job."

"What job?" She asked distantly.

"The maid job, silly." Penguin said jovially over the phone.

"Oh."

"Well? Do you accept?" Penguin asked, impatience slowly filtering into his voice.

She could feel the colour draining from her face as she was faced with such an impossible decision. She had made such a mess of the interview, she hadn't been expecting a job proposal. On the one hand, she argued with herself, he was a dangerous criminal hosting potentially lethal operations that she could accidentally get involved in. On the other hand, he was rich. There was no doubt in her getting paid well, along with a job security that she'd never had before. Maids stayed on for generations, didn't they? Plus, she wouldn't have to work at the obnoxious school any more, or any other place where the people treated her like shit. It would be a respectable job, working in a home. Before she had even properly weighed up the options, she blurted out her answer.

"Yes."

"Good. I'll have someone send you over the details and your new contract. You can start work immediately, I trust?"

"Yeah, of course." She said breathlessly.

The phone went dead and she lowered it from her ear, staring at it. Well, that was a stupid decision. But she couldn't lie, the uncertainty of it all gave her a strange thrill. And she couldn't lie, it felt pretty damn good ringing the school to tell them she was putting in her notice.

* * *

The next day the papers Penguin talked about were posted through her letterbox. The next Monday she arrived at his mansion. The uncertainty was gone from her arrival this time around, but she couldn't tell whether she was more or less terrified than last time.

The doorman seemed to recognize her when he answered the door as he let her in immediately. He led her through the winding corridors again to Penguin's office. After finding her way out herself last time she felt she knew the layout a little better, but was still grateful for the doorman leading the way. They rounded a corner and she found herself strangely disappointed by the fact that Zsasz wasn't guarding the door. She tried to ignore the odd emotion as she passed through into Penguin's office, the doorman staying back so he could close the door behind her.

Penguin looked up as she entered the room, setting down the paperwork he had been looking over to greet her. No-one was at his shoulder.

"Ah, Miss Walker."

"Good morning, sir." She smiled brightly, disguising her nerves behind a cheerful attitude.

"I trust you got your contract?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Do you know why this position is open?" Penguin asked abruptly.

"No."

"My old maid has retired, leaving the spot vacant." He informed her, reclining in his chari. "Olga was good, but she got too... involved. Seeing as we're starting afresh I'm looking for something a little different. I want to go more old-fashioned, back to a time when servants were... part of the furniture, as it were. Do you understand?"

She had read in the contract how much she was getting paid for this job, she was willing to put up with any patronisation at this point.

"Yes, sir."

"Your uniform will reflect this too." He continued. "Its closely modeled after Olga's. Hers would have been far too large for you, of course."

Penguin pulled out a drawer and picked out a bag, sliding it across the table to her. She picked it up, recognizing the name of a noteable tailor emblazoned on it.

"You can claim a room upstairs, if you'd like. Not many people stay here on a permanent basis, but there are plenty of rooms for everyone, permanent or not."

"Thank you."

"You can handle yourself, can't you?”

"Yes, sir.”

"Good. I like someone who takes initiative." Penguin smiled, waving his hand at her as he looked back down at his papers.

She stood, scooping up the new uniform and was just about to leave when Penguin spoke again.

"Oh, and before you go." He said absently. "The information you learn here about me and my business is strictly between us. If you _ever_  try to blackmail me, I'll have Victor kill you before you even have the chance to finish your threat."

When he finished he stopped and smiled innocuously. The expression made her skin crawl and she now knew why people feared him.

"I have no interest in betraying you sir." She said gravely, but his attention was already back on his paperwork.

She shrugged and left the room, passing through the corridors (making only one wrong turn this time) to pass the doorman on her way up to the second floor. Walking through a long corridor of doors she randomly peered into two rooms which had various personal affects and stuff scattered on the dressers. She absently wondered whether any of the stuff belonged to Victor Zsasz.The third randomly chosen room appeared to be empty and she entered, locking the door behind her.

Dressing into her uniform, she hung up her clothes in the wardrobe and retrieved the outfit from the bag. It turned out to be a very stereotypical maid outfit, like one you'd see on an old British TV show about rich people. It was only once she'd put it on and looked in the mirror she noticed just how short the dress was. The look went from 'traditional' to 'slutty' in an instant. On her, it looked less like a uniform and more like an expensive Halloween costume.

Sighing heavily at the image in her mirror, she reminded herself how much she was making. All of this was worth it. Just so long as she didn't have to go back to another janitor job.

* * *

The first few days were spent simply getting used to the house and the new situation. She followed a strict schedule set out by Penguin, but after a couple of weeks she knew the place well enough to work without one. Despite it being Penguin's house, what should be the centre of the crime in Gotham, the place was quiet most of the time and she could clean wherever she wanted without restriction.

Occasionally, especially when downstairs, Penguin would enter a room that she was in the middle of cleaning. Taking his 'part of the furniture' note to heart, she'd wait to see whether he was just passing through, and if he settled in the room then she'd move on. Sometimes Zsasz was with him, and whenever she left the room his eyes were fixed solely on her. It unsettled her slightly, and she was glad that she hadn't run into him on his own yet.

It was one of those occasions, she was cleaning the dining room when Penguin entered the room with Zsasz. She made a move to leave, but he stopped her in her tracks.

"No need to leave, Sylvia." He said dismissively.

He seemed to take quite a relaxed attitude with those who worked for him, despite expecting the opposite from them. He and Zsasz pulled out chairs and sat around the dining table. They were only discussing meaningless, trivial matters to do with security which she tried to block out as she continued cleaning. She started wiping over a side table, trying to ignore how much her skirt rode up when she leaned over. Zsasz watched her, biting his index finger absently as she leant over the table.

"Zsasz?" Penguin asked.

He didn't respond.

"Zsasz?" Penguin repeated impatiently.

He started tapping his fingers against the desk when he noticed where his assassin's attentions were diverted.

"On second thoughts, can you leave us Sylvia?"

She nodded, packing up her cleaning supplies into her caddy. Her lips pursed when she noticed Zsasz's eyes on her and she left the room that little bit more quickly.

"Victor?" Penguin demanded.

"What?" Zsasz responded lazily, watching Sylvia close the door behind her.

"Can you stop getting distracted please?"

"If you're going to dress her in something like that, I can't help it sir." Victor responded slowly, his lips pulling back into something that resembled a smile.

"Like what? What she's wearing is perfectly traditional attire." Penguin said defensively.

"Yeah, sure." Victor said sarcastically, poking his tongue in his cheek.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing wrong with it, sir." Zsasz continued, grinning.

"Then what are you saying?"

"It belongs in Playboy."

"No it does not." Penguin flustered. "You shouldn't be distracted so easily."

"Just because you don't get distracted by women doesn't mean that I don't, sir."

At this, Penguin's face coloured and he tapped his fingers aggressively on the desk again.

"It is a perfectly traditional uniform. I won't hear another word about it, and you won't be distracted by it any more. Understand?" Penguin ordered.

Zsasz settled further into his chair, his inane grin turning into a childish pout. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked up at Penguin with dark eyes.

"Yeah."

"Good. Then shall we continue?"

She pulled her ear away from the door, blushing deeply. Eavesdropping wasn't a particularly good habit, but sometimes it was the only interesting part of a dull cleaning job. She quickly returned to her cleaning supplies and pretended to look busy just in case either of them walked through the door. Zsasz had been staring at her, and enjoying it, and she wasn't quite sure how that made her feel.

After a while, the man in question walked through the door, alone. Her eyes went to his and she paused in her movements. Zsasz paused too. She didn't know why, but she got the feeling that he knew she'd been listening in. She felt breathless as he stared at her, her fist clenching around the cloth she was holding. He smiled minutely and then moved on, passing through the room and out of the other door.

* * *

Those who worked under Penguin all had a similar attitude, as she quickly discovered after trying to speak to a couple of them. They were self-centred and dismissive, refusing to even make small-talk with her when they passed in corridors. She gave up on trying to make friends with any of them. There was clearly a hierarchy with people who worked for Penguin, and she was on the lowest rung.

Not only were the people that worked for Penguin uncaring, some of them were strange too. Notably a petite woman dressed in leather all over with orange bug-like goggles carrying a blowtorch, as well as a man dressed in a heavy metal armour-like gear whose face was frosted over and tinged blue from cold. Even looking at him when he walked through made her shiver.

It was a particularly busy day, strange people consistently filtering through the various winding corridors of the mansion, and she was polishing glasses, setting them carefully onto a counter when she was finished. The shelf she had to stack them on was almost out of her reach, but she was loathed to drag a chair over just in case any of Penguin's important contacts walked past to see a maid in a very short skirt teetering on a stupidly ornamental chair. When she had finished polishing all of the glasses, she lifted herself to her tip-toes and struggled to slide the first one onto the shelf.

Suddenly there was a presence behind her and in the next moment someone's hand was on hers, sliding past it to take the glass. She turned, only to see Zsasz impossibly close and leaning over her to put the glass on the shelf himself. Her eyes were level with his broad chest as he towered over her and she felt her stomach twist. Having slid the glass onto the shelf, he lowered his hands to rest either side of her on the counter, keeping her in place. His eyes shifted from the shelf to her, the dark, hungry look in them making her shudder. He leaned in closer, her hands making stray glasses skim along the surface of the counter as she leaned back at the same rate. When his face was only inches from hers she looked up and noticed his eyes were fixed solely on her lips. She panicked and braced her hand against his chest, halting his progress. He stopped, leaning back slightly, his dark eyes shifting to hers.

"I-I'm sorry, I just... don't get me wrong, you're- you're really hot." She stuttered, looking at the floor.

She realised that she was trying not to offend a man that probably wasn't operating on emotions right now, only a sex drive. He was still overwhelmingly close so she pushed at his chest and forced him further away from her. He let himself be moved, but kept his hands either side of her on the counter.

"I'm sorry. I just can't do this." She excused herself as he didn't let up.

"Why not?" He muttered.

Hearing his low voice so close to her ear made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up and she gripped onto the side of the counter. Clenching her jaw and pursing her lips, she tried not to show any reaction to his voice.

"They'll think I'm a slut." She said through gritted teeth.

"No they won't."

She refused to let his voice affect her this time, instead directing her attraction into aggression as she shoved him off of her.

"Yes they will." She said firmly. "People don't ask questions, they just judge you."

She sighed heavily, pushing him further back so she could make her way past him, towards the door. As she walked past him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back to him. He didn't look angry, but the fingers that encircled her wrist tightened.

"I'm sorry, Zsasz." She said gently, prying his hand off of her wrist. "Not now."

Something akin to hope lit up in his eyes and he abruptly released his grip. She moved towards the door again and this time he didn't pull her back to him. She did look back at the solitary hitman before hurrying out of the room.

To his credit, when she returned to the kitchen later that day to finish putting away the glasses, she'd found them all already stacked on the high shelf. She found herself feeling that little bit more attracted to him. Perhaps he wasn't just another Penguin lackey, uncaring and dismissive. Perhaps he was something more.

* * *

Filling the sink full of soapy water, she prepped all of the kitchenware from Penguin's dinner last night. It was times like this that she wished he owned a dishwasher. The old kitchen was beautifully constructed, but it could really use some modernisation.

Penguin had announced that he was leaving for a few days that morning, but everything still had to be clean while he was gone. She dropped a plate into the soapy water and had just started scrubbing when a subtle knock sounded on the door behind her. She turned to see Zsasz lurking in the doorway. Something had changed since he first came onto her. She hadn't been lying about finding him attractive,  but now she found her heart skipping whenever she saw him. She worried that every time he flirted with her was going to be a chip in her resolve, and she'd give into him eventually. But she knew she couldn't. Not when her job was on the line.

Victor approached her from behind, his hand skimming over her shoulder as he stepped closer to her. She didn't want to say 'womanizer', but he knew exactly what to do to make her want him.

"Will you kiss me now?" He asked softly against her ear.

"Stop it, Zsasz." She said firmly, still cleaning the plate in the sink.

"Why not? Penguin's away."

"I don't want to risk it."

"Why are you so paranoid?"

"You want to know why I'm so paranoid?" She asked him sharply, throwing her washcloth into the sink. "The last time I was caught making out with someone on the job, my boss fired me on the spot."

"Penguin won't care." Zsasz shrugged, stepping away from her to lean against the counter.

"Oh yeah? You'd be surprised." She picked up the cloth again, wiping down the plate. "Seeing their employees making out only reminds them how little they're getting. And then they fire you for stupid, unfounded reasons."

"Not one for holding grudges, are you?" Zsasz asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Never." She said mock-sweetly.

She turned to him, raising her eyebrow. He suppressed a smile as she put the plate on the drying rack and picked up another.

"This is the best job I've had in years. There's no obnoxious kids, grouchy old men or people yelling at me when I'm just trying to mop the _f_ _ucking_  floor." She expressed harshly. "So I'm not risking it. Not yet."

"Then when?" He persisted, dropping his arms and stepping closer to her again.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Perhaps when I've managed to build a good enough reputation for myself. Then maybe, _maybe_ , I'll give you a chance."

She felt his presence at her side again and she nudged him with her elbow as her hands were wet with the soapy water.

"Now get out." She said lightly, putting another plate on the drying rack. "I've got work to do."

"Okay." He said sullenly.

She felt him leave her side and watched him slope through the door, smiling to herself. He was eager, if nothing else. Even if he was just trying to get into her pants.


	2. Chapter 2

Work continued, even while Penguin was absent from the house. When he returned he brought a stranger and introduced him as a business partner. The man in question was old with sparse grey hair framing a cruel wrinkled face. Sylvia ascertained that the man's name was 'Woodrow' and took an immediate dislike to him. 

In order to introduce this new 'business partner' Penguin invited his top contacts to the house. As they milled in the living room, he summoned Sylvia to pour drinks for them. It was a common and extremely dull duty for her as everyone always needed drinks and these 'meetings' often went on for hours. She was only glad that this one wasn't a dinner party, those occasions were particularly insufferable. 

Woodrow's filmy eyes raked up and down her body when she approached him with her tray, making her hostess smile falter. She moved on from him quickly to the other guests assembled. She approached Zsasz last, who seemed surprised that she had included him at all. He accepted the glass anyway, nodding at her as she moved to stand discreetly in the corner of the room. Their business discussions washed over her, but she still had enough presence to quickly slip the silver tray under her arm to clap politely along with them when applause broke out.

After discussing all that they needed to, the party finally made a move to leave. Standing demurely at the doorway, she held out the silver platter. Penguin placed his glass onto it and hobbled past her, Zsasz following closely behind him as he put his untouched glass next to Penguin's. Then the other men shuffled past, barely acknowledging her presence. Woodrow lingered behind all of them, setting his own glass down slowly and deliberately on the tray she was holding out. His eyes trailed up and down her body again and her lips pursed. He wasn't even trying to be discreet. She felt herself recoil as he stepped closer, leaning in conspiratorially.

"How would you like it if I bent you over and fucked you until you screamed?"

His vulgar language caught her by surprise and she could feel her face twisting in disgust. Her hands twitched and she briefly wondered whether it would be worth losing her job over smashing this guy's face in with a tray full of glasses. Just when she was losing the battle with her restraint, Zsasz appeared in the doorway. He looked from her to the old man searchingly, taking in her livid expression and the old man's languid smile.

"This way." Zsasz said tactlessly, pointing down the hallway.

The old man retracted, glancing at her one more time before following Zsasz's instructions and making his way through the door. Zsasz looked at the barely restrained anger on her face and his eyes narrowed in confusion. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something, but decided against it as he turned from her and followed the old man down the corridor.

* * *

She had thought herself safe after that encounter, but it appeared the old man was planning to stay for more than one day. Making her rounds of the house, she noticed another room taken, filled with items belonging to a man of his age; dusty suits, colgene and a particularly distasteful book on his bedside table. She accidentally ran into him on more than one occasion, but fortunately he was always accompanied by Penguin.

There was only one occasion when she ran into him alone. Cleaning the long dining table, she heard footsteps approach her from behind. Expecting a familiar low voice at her ear, she startled when she felt a hand pulling at her skirt. She flinched away, pulling her skirt down quickly only to see Woodrow standing behind her, smiling idly.  

"Don't touch me." She warned him.

He stepped closer to her and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Going against her instincts, she took a step towards him, her expression darkening.

"Listen, you old pervert. I'm not dressed like this for your benefit, I'm here to do my job." She hissed. "I don't know what kind of service you think I'm offering-"

She cut herself off abruptly as Zsasz appeared in the doorway. She bit her tongue and felt a mixture of relief and fear swelling in her chest. Woodrow definitely wouldn't have taken kindly to her outburst, and she dreaded to think what might have happened if this interaction had gone uninterrupted. However, if Zsasz had heard what she'd what she'd been saying to Penguin's very important business client... Zsasz had absolutely no reason to lie on her behalf if she was refusing his advances. 

The old man turned to see Zsasz, his smile dropping. She angrily picked up her cleaning supplies, sweeping past Woodrow and passing the man standing in the doorway. She made it halfway down the corridor when someone's hand wrapped tightly around her forearm, forcing her to double back and stop. She turned to see Zsasz, something related to concern in his eyes as his long, thin fingers wrapped around her arm.

"What's going on?"

He had grabbed her so forcefully that she misdirected her anger towards him. She whipped towards him, pulling at her arm.

"Nothing." She snapped. 

She had turned into the self-defensive employee that she hated so much, but she didn't want to admit to Zsasz that she was being harassed by an old man. She grew up in Gotham, for god's sake. She should know how to deal with men like him. She hated that she felt so helpless, and she hated Zsasz for trying to drag it out of her.

"What's he staying to you?" Zsasz urged, his fingers tightening.

"That's none of your concern." 

She wrenched at her arm and this time he let go. He watched her as she stalked angrily down the corridor, his lips downturned as he angled his head back towards the dining room.

* * *

The longer the old man stayed, the more she avoided the places where she was more likely to run into him. Bedrooms were the safest option, and her anxiety was more under control when she was boxed into a smaller room with more things to clean and keep her busy. Every room, used or unused, was decorated with various ornaments and nick-knacks which took a long time to dust.

On the third day of him staying, she was hiding upstairs in one of the unused rooms, dusting a small ornamental carriage clock. Leaning idly against a dresser as she polished, she felt someone approaching her from behind. She hadn't heard the door open, but there was a heavy and ominous presence against her right ear.

The clock wouldn't be much help when used in self-defence so she set it down slowly and casually, behaving as though she didn't know about the person behind her. As soon as her hand was free, she put it discreetly into her apron to pull out a small switchblade. Her palm started sweating and her mind raced as she took a deep, silent breath. Then she span around, brandishing her switchblade to hold it against the person's neck.

It was Zsasz.

"Jesus!" She shouted and startled backwards, jamming her hips against the dresser painfully.

His eyes widened in surprise with a knife held to the pale, exposed part of his neck. After her exclamation, he realized that the threat was unfounded and he snatched the knife from her hand.

"I'm sorry." She said breathlessly, lowering her arm. "I wasn't expecting it to be you."

"Then who were you expecting?" 

He looked from her to the small blade he'd confiscated from her. Her mouth fell open to say something, but her words stuck in her throat as footsteps echoed down the hall. Zsasz turned to look at the door as someone jiggled the handle.

"Them." She muttered.

Zsasz pulled the knife out of view from the doorway as it opened. The old man peered in, his eyes lighting up when he saw her. His excitement dampened when he noticed the other man in the room with her. He mumbled apologies about being in the wrong room before closing the door again. Zsasz turned to her, arching his eyebrow.

"And why are you scared of an old man?" He asked her slowly.

"Firstly, I'm not scared of him." She said sharply, attempting to grab her knife but he lifted it out of her reach again. "But he has said some horrid things to me."

"What's he said to you?" Zsasz insisted.

She felt herself blush, her jaw tightening. He leaned towards her and she drew into herself. She flinched as he placed his hand on her shoulder, concern on his face.

"He told me he..." She blushed an even deeper shade of red before forcing herself to continue. "What he said exactly was that he wanted to fuck me until I... until I screamed." 

Zsasz's eyes went dark and his hand unconsciously tightened around her shoulder. She winced, but it took him a few moments to notice and abruptly release his grip.

"So, if you want to know why I have a knife, that's why." She said, avoiding his eyes. "All that man would need to do is lock me into one of these rooms and he could do whatever he wanted to me."

She held out her palm, still avoiding his gaze. He gave the blade back, his mind lost in thought as he pressed it into her palm.

"Why don't you tell Penguin?" 

"Do you really think he'd do anything about it?" She laughed sadly, concealing the blade back in her apron. "That man is probably making him millions, what does he care if he goes around groping the staff?"

"He touched you?" Zsasz asked intensely, stepping even closer to her.

She drew back, her eyes widening and stomach tightening at the severity of his words. His protective side scared her more than him coming onto her, it seemed.

"No. Slip of the tongue." She lied, absently pulling at her skirt as she did so.

Zsasz's jaw shifted and he turned to look back at the door that the old man had peered through. His eyes were murderous, and she had to lean forward and touch his arm to divert his attention back to her.

"Don't do anything to him." She warned him. "He's important to Penguin, and I don't think he'd appreciate it if you did something to his business partner."

"Penguin doesn't control me." Zsasz said distantly.

"Zsasz." She pleaded, shaking his arm to drive her point home. 

"Okay, fine." He agreed with her eventually, but he didn't seem happy about it.

He stalked towards the door, opening it silently. He stopped and angled his head towards her.

"Keep that knife on you." He insisted. 

"Of course." She smiled, patting the spot where she concealed her weapon.

He didn't smile back at her as he turned and closed the door behind him.

* * *

The fourth day into the old man's stay, Sylvia disappeared upstairs to clean more of the bedrooms. She moved from room to room, satisfied as she carried her caddy full of cleaning supplies. But then hands appeared from a doorway, one clamping over her mouth. Her caddy dropped to the floor with a clatter. The other hand tightened around her waist and panic started to build in her chest. She tried screaming but a cloth muffled the noises she tried to make.

As she freaked out, through the fog of terror she noticed that the cloth had a strange sweet smell. Her legs went limp of their own accord and the person dragged her into the room as her head started to hurt and her vision blurred. A couple of panicked breaths later and she was out-cold, her vision blackening and body going limp against her assailant.

Zsasz watched as she was pulled from the corridor, hearing the door close but no lock click into place. Sloppy.

He skimmed down the stairs, stalking through the mansion to find something large that would smash easily. He came across a large porcelain vase in one of the corridors, weighing up his options before tipping the vase off of it's ornamental table. He hadn't pushed it very hard, but the floor was stone and the vase smashed easily, tiny pieces of porcelain scattering all over the floor.

A couple of minutes later, Penguin hobbled around the corner. He saw the vase and he saw Zsasz, annoyance filtering into his features.

"You're lucky that wasn't expensive."

"Sorry boss." Zsasz said in a monotone voice.

Penguin sighed dramatically, passing his hand over his face.

"Sylvia!"

Both of them waited, Penguin looking around curiously when she didn't appear after a few moments. He sighed again, pushing past Zsasz into the corridor. Zsasz followed him as Penguin hobbled his way to the large entrance hall where the stairs were. He called out her name again. No response.

"Maybe she's slacking off, sir." Zsasz suggested to Penguin over his shoulder.

A look of smug arrogance crossed Penguin's features and he began to make his way up the stairs. When he was at the top, he gestured at Zsasz to come closer.

"What room is hers?" Penguin asked.

"Fifth one on the left. I think." Zsasz answered pointedly.

He was glad of Penguin's apparent unfamiliarity with his own home. 

"Right." Penguin said, pushing forward.

Zsasz let him lead but followed closely behind him, his hand hovering over his gun. Penguin forced the door open, his mouth falling open the moment he saw what was happening. Woodrow was in the room, on all fours on the bed. He was perched on top of a seemingly unconscious Sylvia, his hands in all of the incriminating places.

Zsasz poked his head around Penguin's shoulder and immediately went blind with rage. He had to turn on his heel, digging his fingers into the fresh tally-marks under his suit. All he wanted to do was in this moment was push past Penguin and snap the old man's neck. Breathing deeply and roughly, he focused on the pain shooting up his arm as the scarred skin broke beneath his fingertips. It was only when he had pushed past the worst of his rage he turned back to the scene that had angered him so much.

Penguin's mouth was still open in shock as he stared at the man hunched on top of the young woman. Slowly his brain started to catch up with the scene in front of him, his mouth closing and tongue poking in his cheek. Woodrow quickly heaved himself off of the woman, his hands lifting in the air as he burbled excuses. Penguin was now visibly furious as he whipped around to give Zsasz an order.

"Get him out of here." Penguin hissed, pointing at the old man.

Zsasz nodded gravely, sticking his head out of the doorway to whistle through his fingers. One of his men came running up the stairs, his expression serious as he nodded at Zsasz.

"Put him somewhere." 

He gestured back at the old man who was rapidly turning into a whining mess.

"Underground?" The other man asked in an undertone.

Zsasz lifted a gloved hand to stop him.

"No. Leave him alive. I want to deal with him." Zsasz said darkly, watching as the other man grabbed Woodrow bodily and dragged him out of the room.

Zsasz ensured that his man definitely had Woodrow as he dragged him through the corridor and down the stairs, before going back to the scene of the crime.

"She won't wake up." Penguin said worriedly over his shoulder as Zsasz entered the room.

Penguin was slapping the unconscious girl's face as Zsasz hurried to stand by Penguin's side. He pushed Penguin out of the way, holding two fingers against her nose while he held his other hand against her chest, just to make sure that it was rising and falling.

"She's breathing." He confirmed, leaning back slightly.

Penguin sighed in relief. Zsasz's hand moved from her nose to trail down her body, pulling her skirt down for modesty reasons. As his eyes roved around the immediate area, he spotted a cloth by her head. He picked it up and held it to his nose. It smelled sweet. He grimaced, passing the cloth on to Penguin.

"Chloroform." Zsasz said shortly.

Penguin put the cloth to his nose, but threw it across the room the moment Zsasz identified the substance for him. He swiped his hand against his trousers, frowning.

"What do we do then?" Penguin demanded.

"We just have to wait it out. And hope that he knew what he was doing." Zsasz said calmly, leaning forward again to hold his fingers to her neck. "Chloroform can be fatal in the wrong dose."

He was relieved to feel her heartbeat strong and steady against his fingers.

"She'll wake up in a few hours." Zsasz pulled back, retrieving a gun from his jacket. "If you don't mind, sir, I have someone to torture in the meantime."

"Oh, I'm not letting you have all the fun. An example needs to be made." Penguin passed Zsasz and hobbled out of the room. "I _will not_ have men going around raping my staff!"

Zsasz looked down at her, his hand tightening around his gun as he turned to follow Penguin out of the room.

* * *

A bookshelf slid to one side and Penguin emerged from the hidden entrance, looking left and right cautiously. He hobbled down the corridor, doubling back in front of a gilded mirror. Inspecting his reflection, he pulled out a handkerchief to dab at the spots of blood staining his cheek. Once he was satisfied with his appearance he continued down the corridor.

Zsasz emerged a few minutes later, breathing heavily and looking far too spotless for what he'd just done. He knew how black clothing could hide a multitude of sins. As the bookcase slid closed behind him, he pulled up one of his sleeves, retrieving a small knife from his inner pocket. He dug the blade into the flesh of his forearm, his tongue poking between his lips as he watched the blood well up around the knife. He marked the latest tally down next to the ones that were split from when he was trying to restrain himself earlier, scratching the dried blood from his arm as he pulled his sleeve back down. Then he walked purposefully to the bottom of the stairs and gestured to one of his men.

"Deal with the aftermath." He said disinterestedly, continuing up the stairs.

The man nodded, following the direction that Zsasz had come from. Zsasz skipped up the stairs two at a time, catching up with Penguin as he twitched his sleeves down. Wordlessly, they both entered the room that contained the unconscious woman. Penguin sidled up to her side, Zsasz following closely behind him as Penguin leant forward and tried slapping her face again. This time she winced, turning her face away from the hand.

"Oh god. My head..." She moaned.

She cracked open her eyes, only to see Penguin and Zsasz leaning over her. The panic didn't filter in immediately, but when it did she tried sitting up, stopping herself when a jolt of stabbing pain shot through her head.

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"My ex-business partner drugged you, presumably to take advantage of your body. Luckily I got here just in time to apprehend him." Penguin said smugly.

She held a hand to her forehead, grimacing.

"Thank you." She said eventually, seeing as he seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

Penguin nodded complacently, straightening up and moving past Zsasz. Zsasz stepped closer to the bed now that Penguin was out of the way, looking down at Sylvia. 

"Victor? Are you coming?" Penguin asked from the doorway.

"I'm going to stay here for a bit longer, if that's alright." Zsasz responded, not looking at him.

Penguin's eyebrows knitted together and he nodded slowly before turning and leaving the room. Zsasz knelt beside the bed, his eyes trailing over the barely conscious woman. Her eyes were closed so he worried that she was out again, but then she spoke.

"How did Penguin find me?"

"You were right."

"What?" She asked, cracking open her eyes to look at the hitman.

"About not being on good terms with Penguin if I killed his business partner." Zsasz continued, lifting his arm to rest it against the mattress. "So I let him discover you on his own."

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the old man put you out. I had to break something so Penguin would find you." Zsasz shrugged. "While he was looking I pointed him in the right direction."

She seemed to be waking up, slowly but surely. It was no longer a struggle to keep her eyes open, but her head still throbbed so she didn't try sitting up again.

"Were you here? Did you see how far he got?" She asked agitatedly, her heart pounding as she waited for an answer.

"I don't think he..." He trailed off, lowering his head and speaking to the floor. "I think he was only touching you. Your clothes were still on."

She nodded, suppressing the urge to shudder. She ran the heel of her palm over her lips, swiping away saliva that she only imagined was there.

"Oh god, I can feel him all over me." She grimaced. "I need a shower."

"I could've been here sooner." He said, still staring at the floor.

She rolled over in the bed so she could look at him more easily.

"What you did was clever. Penguin got to see Woodrow for who he was."

She smiled gently and extended her arm towards him, her palm lying upwards. He apprehensively slid his hand over hers and her fingers tightened around his. Her gaze trailed over his averted eyes and downturned lips as she shuffled closer to the edge of the bed.

"I'm guessing he's fired then?" She asked quietly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah." Zsasz lied, trying not to think about the bloodied heap that was being taken out to be buried in the vast grounds.

"Zsasz?"

"What?"

"You have some blood on your cheek."

Zsasz's jaw shifted and he lifted his free hand to swipe at the incriminating stain on his pale cheek.

"I'm surprised Penguin gave a damn." She continued, shrugging slightly. "I would've thought Penguin was the kind of guy who congratulated an assault." 

"No. His mother taught him to respect women." Zsasz said, revealing unexpected insight into Penguin's life. "As far as I can see, it's one of the only instances where she taught him right from wrong."

"You know about his mother?" She asked curiously. 

"I was working for him when she died." Zsasz shrugged. 

"Oh." She expressed an apologetic noise. 

"It hit him hard."

"Is that why he's..."

"Batshit crazy?" He interrupted her, his eyes flashing. "No. He was like that before." 

"Do you think what he was doing with that man was really important?" She asked nervously, her hand tightening around his.

"It can't have been that important. Or he would have hesitated when we were-" Zsasz cut himself off, looking at her as if he only just remembered who he was talking to. "-when he was firing him."

A flash of self-hatred crossed his features and he looked at the hand that had wiped blood off of his face. Grimacing, he lifted his hand from hers, not having to struggle much against her flimsy grip. His expression was hard and set in place as he got up off of his knees.

"I should ask him what he's planning to do now the pervert's gone." He said, angling his head to look at the door.

"And I should-" She tried to sit up but he quickly placed his hand on her chest, pushing her back down onto the bed.

"No. You should rest up. You were drugged, remember?" He said authoritatively.

"But I have-"

"I'm sure Penguin will give you the rest of the day off. You should go home, when you're ready to drive."

She nodded slowly, lying back down of her own accord. She watched him as he left her side, looking back at her once before stalking through the door.


	3. Chapter 3

After a full nights sleep Sylvia didn't have any remaining side-effects from the drug and she was up early again the next morning. She could clean the downstairs freely as she now had nothing more to fear. In the morning she'd done a cursory sweep of the house on the lookout for Zsasz, but he was nowhere to be found. Her stomach sank, but she assumed that he was on a job for Penguin.

Near the end of the working day, just as she was winding down there was a sudden clamour of activity down the hall. She halted in her movements, turning her head towards the sound. One of Zsasz's men ran past and she quickly dropped the cloth in her hand to rush towards the door. Looking down the corridor, she watched another man bolt past her while agitated shouting rang through the house. She wondered what all the fuss and clamour was about, until a dark figure rounded the corner. It was Zsasz, hunched over and limping horribly as he made his way down the corridor.

Initially, all she could do was stare as he passed her. Then she decided to follow after him, half-skipping to keep up with his long strides. He made his way into the dining room, half-hazardly pulling out a chair to sit down heavily onto it.

"Zsasz?" She asked nervously from the doorway.

He hissed through his teeth, curling into himself on the chair. She approached him cautiously, keeping a respectable distance as she moved to stand at his side.

"What happened?" She asked in a grave voice, watching as another man rushed past them.

There was no answer, he merely straightened his shoulders out and winced as he rearranged his hands. They had been pressed tightly to his abdomen but as they shifted she could see the blood.  

"Oh shit." She gasped and dropped to her knees in front of him.

Batting at his hands, she moved them aside to press her own hand against the source of the bleeding. She leant her weight into her hand, putting as much pressure on his wound as she dared. With her other hand, she cupped his face and forced him to look at her.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly before checking herself. "Sorry, stupid question."

She shook her head, looking down at her hand to see his blood seeping through her fingers. He was breathing in short, sharp breaths but his dark eyes were now focused entirely on her.

"It's going to be alright." She said uselessly, rubbing her thumb over his cheek. "You're going to be fine."

She forced a smile, her eyes straying from his as two men entered the room. They batted a candlestick from the centre of the dining table and spread a heavy, blood-stained tarpaulin over it. They pulled Zsasz from her grip and she backed away as they lifted him bodily onto the table. One of them scattered various metal utensils which clattered as they hit the table. She hurried away, returning to the kitchen where she had been cleaning. Gore didn't sit well with her and she had a feeling it was going to get messy in there.

Leaning over the sink, she turned on the tap and rubbed at her hand. The blood ran down in thin rivulets, streaming down from her hand and circling down the drain. She winced as Zsasz cried out in the other room. The sound of him in pain made her stomach flip and she suddenly felt nauseous. She scrubbed at her hand more fervently, feeling less and less romanticism towards the blood staining her hand. He called out again, more guturally this time and her wet hands gripped the edge of the counter like a vice. She listened, waiting for another noise. This time, it was just a low moan echoing through the corridor and she prayed that the worst of it was over.

Her hands released the counter and she picked up a cloth to dry them. As she did so, she turned and startled. Penguin was standing in the doorway. She went to put the cloth back casually, acting as if he hadn't scared her.

"No-one goes near Victor Zsasz when he's hurt." Penguin said from the doorway. "They're much too likely to get stabbed."

She turned towards him, her mouth set into a thin line.

"Oh really?"

"Yes." Penguin said through a clenched jaw, hobbling further into the room. "Which begs the question; why is he letting _you_  near him?"

"I don't know." She spoke airily.

"I think I do." He leaned forward, pursing his lips. "There's something going on between you two. I think you two are an item."

"You've got the wrong idea."

She sounded nervous and couldn't even explain to herself why.

"You do remember what I said about you betraying me, don't you?" Penguin carried on, ignoring her.

"Yes, I do, but-"

"I must admit, it would be a clever way to do it, seducing my hitman. It's never been tried before, at least."

"It's not really any of your business, sir." She spoke sharply, commanding his attention. "But if you must know, he has made some advances on me. I turned him down over matters of professionalism."

Penguin struggled for something to say, his mouth opening and closing uselessly while the anger didn't leave his features.

"I'm worried about him, that's all." She shrugged.

"He's had worse." Penguin sneered.

"You give me far too much credit." She said lightly. "I'm not that clever, and I'm not a criminal. I don't want your empire."

Penguin flapped for a few more seconds before stopping to compose himself. He took a deep breath, then smiled innocuously.

"Oh good. I'm glad to hear it." Penguin nodded. "I don't think you two would have been well suited anyway."

She tried not to look affronted as he hobbled closer to her. He leaned towards her, his smile falling.

"He likes to break people and I don't think you'd last long." Penguin hissed. "You're too _weak_."

She liked to think that he wasn't trying to offend her, but his tone and the look in his eyes suggested otherwise. She nodded, pushing past the angry little man with pursed lips.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said tightly over her shoulder.

Passing through the doorway, she looked down the corridor towards the dining room. Then she shook her head and turned in the other direction. As she ran up the stairs, tears were already pricking at her eyes.

 _You're too weak_ , he'd said. He was right. She _was_  too weak for Zsasz. What in hell was she even doing playing along with that man? All he wanted was to make some kind of 'conquest' of her, she knew that from the start and she had intended to always refuse him. But now it had gone too far. She actually cared for him now, his pain had told her that.

She closed the door of her claimed room, sitting down heavily on her bed. Allowing herself to break down in the privacy of her own room, she tried to muffle her sobs by crying into her hand. Through tears, she dressed out of her maid uniform and back into her normal clothes. She had to get out of the bloody house. Rubbing tears from her eyes, she picked out car keys from her bag and ran back down the stairs. She got into her car and didn't look back as she drove away.

* * *

Several days passed. Around the house she took extra care in avoiding Penguin; she resented him for being so blunt in telling her the truth. Since the incident, she hadn't seen Zsasz anywhere so she assumed that he was recovering. After the abrupt wake-up call from Penguin she wasn't sure how she felt towards him any more. So instead of facing the confusing mush of emotions, she simply pushed them away to be dealt with at a later date. 

It had been over a week when a similar ruckus to that of a few days earlier sounded through the house. This time it was centred around Penguin's office, men rushing to and from it looking concerned. Things were obviously busy in the underworld at the moment. She peered nosily down the hallway, her face lighting up as she spotted Zsasz walking towards her. She was relieved to see he wasn't limping any more and his face was the impassive mask it usually was. He didn't notice her, though, and she had to grab his arm as she walked past him to get him to acknowledge her.

"What's going on?"

"High alert." He said distractedly, his mind obviously in a different place.

"What does that mean?"

"The house is marked, anyone who comes or goes is in danger." Zsasz said, his eyes finally seeming to focus on her. "You might not want to go home tonight. It could be too risky."

Then he continued on, as if he hadn't stopped to talk to her at all. She thought for a moment, her mouth pursing before she returned to her job.

She didn't run into Zsasz again, but people were still agitatedly going to and from Penguin's office so she assumed 'high alert' was still in place. At the end of her shift she prepared for staying the night in the massive mansion. Despite cleaning the place every day, she had never stayed before so there was still something unfamiliar about it. Luckily, she had some things stashed in her room for just such an occasion, but she hadn't brought any other clothes apart from the 'smart' outfit that she drove home in. Whenever she forgot that outfit she had no other choice than to drive home in her ridiculous maid outfit. People would look in curiously at her when stuck in gridlock traffic and she'd sink into her seat, hoping that if she couldn't see them then they couldn't see her. Fortunately, she had remembered it today and dressed into it for lack of anything better.

She wondered where the rest of Penguin's staff were, granted that they got the same memo she did. Holed up in their rooms, no doubt. God forbid there be a sense of community spirit in this house in a time of crisis. All of the rooms upstairs gave her the creeps if she stayed in them too long thanks to the incident so, on silent feet, she made her way down the stairs and into the living room. It was frantic by Penguin's office, but the rest of the house was silent and still as she wandered through it. 

All of the curtains were drawn, and it felt just as foreboding in the living room as it did upstairs. She was just about to go back upstairs when her eyes fixed on the fireplace. That was one way to make a place more homely, not to mention give her something to do. Maybe then people would join her if they passed and she could actually make some connections in this antisocial place.

She knelt in front of the large fireplace, stacking up kindling and setting it alight. It was only when that was blazing that she stacked a large log on top of the kindling, jumping back from the sparks that flew into the air. Still stoking the fire, she stacked two more logs on when the first had properly caught alight, watching the other two slowly got eaten away by flames. She relished the warmth of the large fire, staying close to it with a poker in her hand to enjoy the heat. She was so contented that she almost jumped out of her skin when someone cleared their throat behind her.

"How come I can always hear everyone else's footsteps in this house apart from yours?" She said, turning to see Zsasz standing behind the sofa holding two glasses of wine in his hand.

He didn't answer as he approached her, handing her one of the glasses. She took it wordlessly, nursing it against her chest as she continued to poke at the fire. In order to be closer to the fire, he sat behind her on the floor, his back resting against the couch as he stretched his legs out in front of him. She set the poker aside, shuffling backwards to join him in leaning against the sofa.

"Shouldn't you be with Penguin? You _are_  head of security." She asked him idly, holding her glass to her lap.

"I should. But he's insufferable in situations like this." Zsasz said harshly. "I've left my men to deal with him."

She nodded, watching him out of the corner of her eye as he took a drink from his glass. She'd _never_  seen him drink alcohol before. Penguin was constantly drinking, either to amplify or quell that nervous paranoia that he always seemed to carry with him. Despite being around Penguin all of the time, Zsasz had never drunk with him. She assumed it was a control thing, he didn't want to dull his senses or whatever. But now he was drinking, and on the first night she'd witnessed a lock-in.

"You're drinking." She noted, casually, hoping to get some explanation from him.

"You can't be alert all of the time." He responded shortly.

Nodding, she took a sip from her own wine glass. She wasn't used to drinking expensive wine and she tried not to make a face as the taste of it hit her tongue. He didn't seem to notice. Zsasz was merely staring at the flickering fire, his large eyes reflecting the light of the flames. 

"I'm sorry. About the other day." She blurted out when he didn't say anything more. "I wanted to make sure you were okay after you were patched up, but Penguin intercepted me. He, um... gave me a job to do."

He didn't respond to her words, but he did turn to look at her curiously.

"How is it, by the way?" She asked, gesturing at his side.

His hand ghosted over the place where the bullet had been, where all of the blood had seeped out over her hand, and winced reflexively.

"I've had worse."

"That's what Penguin said." She smiled, shaking her head. "Does he always take such an interest in the lives of his employees?"

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he switched his glass from one hand to the other.

"What do you mean?"

"He just- he asked whether we were a thing." She shrugged.

"What did you say?" He asked, equally nonchalantly.

"That I turned you down."

Zsasz nodded, obviously in deep thought.

"He said that we wouldn't match well anyway. He said I was too weak for you." She commented, rather bitterly.

"Weak?" Zsasz repeated, his lips downturned.

"Yeah."

"What did he mean by that?"

"I don't know." She shrugged noncomitally.

It hadn't been her intention to bring anyone else into her downward spiral, and yet, here she was. She stared at the fire for a few moments, but then she turned to see Zsasz staring at her intensely. She shifted under his stare, rolling her glass between her hands. He switched the glass again before lifting his now-free hand towards her. She flinched as it touched her cheek, but kept her eyes closed as his warm hand settled to rest on her jaw. She bit her lip, her eyes fluttering open to look at him.

"You're not weak. You're just kind." He said softly, his thumb running idly over her cheek. "You can be kind and strong. They're not mutually exclusive."

His hand dropped from her cheek and she felt her stomach drop with it. She'd felt so awful when Penguin had said what he said about her. She had no idea that Zsasz would have made her feel better in an instant. She felt colour rising to her cheeks and her heart started pounding. Another mad rush of confidence flooded her brain and she forgot to think about her actions and their consequences as she clinked her glass down beside her.

She shuffled closer to him, lifting a shaking hand to rest on his chest. He watched her curiously, the corners of his lips lifted in a wry smile. Her heart was racing but everything apart from that was still. The fire crackled calmly in the hearth, the heat from it washing over the two of them in waves. Somehow she blocked all of that out as she centred herself on the warm skin beneath her fingertips.

"Fuck him." She said firmly. "I don't care if he fires me. But he _will not_  tell me what to do."

Impulsively, she pulled his face towards hers, pressing her lips against his. Her eyes closed and she ran her hand down his chest, tiny thrills of pleasure shooting down her spine as she did so. Parting their lips, she pulled back to look into his eyes.

He had been so still and unresponsive as she kissed him that she worried she'd made a horrible judgement call. But as she pulled away, she noticed the hungry look in his eyes. That look was enough to reassure her. She took the glass from his hand to set it on the ground beside them and lifted herself from the ground to straddle his legs. Her tingling hands wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer and she pressed her chest firmly against his. She kissed him again, the kiss quickly growing more passionate as his tongue slipped between her lips. Lifting his own hands, he slid them up her thighs, over her hips before settling below her ribcage. She had trouble thinking as his long, slender fingers wrapped around her waist. Deliberately, she slid herself over his crotch as she shifted on top of his body. He made a small noise in the back of his throat and her hands clenched into fists behind his head. She broke the kiss, muttering against his lips.

"I never got you to thank you for the other day."

"For what?"

"For stopping the old pervert."

She released her grip from the back of his head, moving them to work at the buttons of her blouse.

"Anyone would have done that." He said softly, but he didn't seem to be stopping her.

"Still. I want to thank you."

He helped her with the last few buttons, her shirt barely open before his hands slid under the fabric and ran over her bare torso. She whined happily, kissing him as she pulled the shirt from her body, throwing it to the side. His hands slid eagerly over every part of her newly exposed body, eventually stopping on the clasp of her bra. She reached around and halted his hands quickly, breaking the kiss.

"What if someone comes in?" She asked in a low voice.

"They won't." He assured her, pushing her hands away.

"How do you know?"

His hands slid up her spine and she shuddered against him, not stopping him this time as he worked at the back of her bra.

"I told them not to." He said in an undertone as he pulled the bra from her chest.

She was glad for the roaring fire in such close proximity because as he exposed the rest of her torso her skin still pricked from the cold. He greedily grabbed at the new flesh and she moaned at his rough actions. The corners of his lips lifted upwards and he forced his hands to move more slowly, just to tease her. His fingertips trailed slow circles around her breasts, making goose bumps rise on her skin, when he abruptly tweaked one of her nipples. She gasped and her eyes flung open, only see him eyeing her with a challenging grin. Her lips pursed and she smiled back at him, abruptly grinding her hips against his. He closed his eyes and suppressed a shudder, his head twitching.

"Two can play at that game." She reminded him.

He growled and picked her up by her armpits, throwing her unceremoniously onto the couch. She writhed as he crawled on top of her, something dark and animalistic filtering into his eyes as he drew closer. He captured his lips on hers roughly as she pulled desperately at the buttons of his waistcoat. He didn't part his lips from hers as he pulled the waistcoat from his torso, throwing it to the floor. Her hands moved on to his shirt, fumbling with the tiny buttons as he kissed her fervently. His shirt parted beneath her fingers and she could finally trail her hands over the pale expanse of chest. She could feel his taught muscles strain beneath her hands as he leaned over her, the raw power contained within the sleek man catching her by surprise. He was dangerous. But there was something deliciously addictive about the danger he exuded.

She pulled the shirt slowly from his shoulders, shimmying it down his body. Her hand skimmed past his shoulder and she felt puckered skin underneath her fingers. She stopped, pushing at his chest to force him back.

"What are those?" She asked, her eyes straying over the arm that was scattered with scars. Small tallies infected his arm and part of his shoulder, some of them old and fading while others had barely scabbed over.

He grimaced and bit his tongue. Now wasn't the time to explain how fucked up he was. He decided not to answer, merely suffocating her with another kiss while his hand slipped between her legs to ensure that she stopped any further questioning. She moaned against his lips as he rubbed between her legs. He finished pulling off his shirt, dropping it to the floor with a miniscule thud. Her hands ran over his chest, nails catching on his bare skin as he continued kissing her.

His actions grew desperate and it was clear he couldn't wait much longer. He hitched her skirt up, bunching up the fabric up around her waist, using his thumb to hook down her underwear. Unbuttoning the waistband of his trousers, he unzipping his flies to unleash his member. He palmed it in his hands before positioning it at her entrance. With a sudden movement, he thrust into her. Her lips parted and she arched her back as she took his throbbing member inch by inch. She whimpered and he slowed his progress, his eyes quickly fixed on hers, heavy with concern. She hadn't thought Zsasz would be cautious in the bedroom, so she had simply made any noise that she wanted to. But now he was slowing when all she wanted was more, more of _him_ , and here he was, fucking worrying about whether he was hurting her. She needily pulled at his trousers which were still resting on his hips, pulling him forcefully towards her.

He took the hint, something sadistic crossing his face as he rammed the rest of his length inside of her, forcing her to make a sound a lot louder than the pathetic whimper she had let out earlier. He quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, leaning in towards her.

"Quiet. You don't want anyone running to your rescue, do you?" He whispered against her ear.

Her eyes widened and she quickly shut her jaw with a snap. His lips broke into a grin and he began to thrust, slowly at first but increasing in speed as she bucked beneath him. She wanted to scream, god, she wanted to scream. And he could tell that as he rammed into her, his eyes fixed on hers as he ate up every little reaction she had to his movements. She lifted her arm as he fucked her and bit her thumb harshly, hoping that the pain might distract her from the crushing need to express how good he felt inside of her. 

She looked like she was in distinct pain, but the way she was gripping his arm was telling him not to stop. He continued rutting, her breasts bouncing with the fierce movements of his hips. Nails scraping over his bare chest, leaving red marks on the perfectly white skin. His powerful hips slammed into her until they were both driven over the edge, her mind giving way to pleasure as her orgasm wrecked through her body. He breathed heavily over her as she shuddered beneath him, the pleasure rushing through her body in waves.

The fire had fizzled out to mere embers that still radiated heat, the charred remains of the logs glowing red. He pulled himself out and lifted himself off of her body. She was still breathless, but now felt strangely empty as her body settled after such an intense orgasm. Doing up his trousers, he looked down and smirked at the sensual mess sprawled on the sofa. A sudden tender urge came over him and he leaned over, lifting her back gently to unzip the skirt still hitched around her waist. He pulled it down her legs, throwing it onto the floor beside the couch. Leaving her side, she watched as he moved around the room.

Seeing him wandering around, dressed only from the waist downward, made her heart skip and stomach sink again. His broad shoulders tapered down and his trousers rode low on his thin hips, exposing sharp hip bones that dipped below his waistband. There was something delicate and beautiful about the bones protruding through his skin. Collar bones jutting out and the faintest imprint of his ribcage under his pecs. But there was also something lethal about his unclothed body, the rest of his sharp skeleton tightly packed over with lean muscles.

He returned to her side, holding one of the faded old blankets that Penguin had draped over his furniture. Kneeling beside her, he covered her naked body with the blanket.

She shifted, looking at him with soft eyes illuminated by the dying fire. His hand threaded through her hair as he kissed her gently, leaning forward to press his lips against hers. When their lips parted, he used his knelt position to grab the rest of his clothes that were scattered over the floor. Then he stood, pulling his shirt over his arms idly as she felt a wash of disappointment.

"I should go check up on him." He said as he buttoned his shirt, looking to the door.

"Are you sure?"

She reached her hand out from underneath the blanket, clutching it closely to her chest. As he finished buttoning up his shirt, his attention left his buttons and returned to her. He nodded in response to her question. Her mouth dropped and she looked to the dying fire, chewing her lip. He reached forward and took her visible hand, pulling out from under the blanket and kissed it gently. A tiny smile pulled at her lips as she felt his warm mouth against her knuckles. Once he'd kissed her hand, he stood back upright. He stepped backwards, in the direction of the door, haphazardly pulling on his waistcoat as he left her line of sight.

She watched him leave and once he was gone from her field of vision she merely stared at the fire instead. Her heart rate slowed as she felt an uncharacteristic feeling of calm overwhelm her. Somewhere in that dreamy afterglow and lying beside a steadily dying fire, she fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

A loud nose woke Sylvia abruptly. She rubbed at her eyes, confused by the change in her pillow and unfamiliar foundation beneath her. Sitting up slowly, she froze when she remembered where she was; in a very easily accessible room in a house owned by the self-proclaimed 'King of Gotham'. And she was naked.

Over the course of the night the blanket that Zsasz draped over her had been kicked to her feet. She quickly pulled it back up over her body, retaining some small part of her modesty. Her eyes roved anxiously around the room, searching for witnesses but she seemed to be alone, thank god. Rolling over onto her side, she made a grab for her skirt that was on the floor beside her. She fumbled in the pockets, pulling out her phone and blearily checking the time. A feeling of panic bloomed in her chest when the screen lit up; her shift had started hours ago. She forced herself further upright, clutching the blanket close to her chest as she noted the heavy curtains pulled over the windows. They must have been drawn last night due to the high alert, so thugs wouldn't know where to shoot. But it meant that the morning light was barely penetrating the room, something which she usually relied on when getting up in the morning. That explained why her sleeping schedule was fucked.

Panicked, she dressed quickly before anyone had the chance to stumble into the room. She didn't bother to dress properly as she was just going to get changed again upstairs, so the buttons of her blouse were mis-matched and her hair was everywhere but she didn't care. She hastily replaced Penguin's throw and left the room.

She trotted through the winding corridors, a palpable feeling of dread coming over her as she approached the staircase. There was _always_  a man posted on the door. And she would have to walk right past him. She gritted her teeth and avoided looking at said doorman as she took her first few steps up the stairs. A hand on her arm stopped her in her tracks and she looked back worriedly, only to see Zsasz standing a few steps below her.

"Morning." He said in a flat voice, his hand dropping from her arm.

She stopped and chewed her lip. Her eyes strayed to the doorman. He didn't seem to care in the least, but she still felt embarrassment ripple through her.

"Morning." She said tersely.

She gave a pointed look to the doorman, but Zsasz didn't take her hint.

"How did you sleep?" He continued.

Seemingly intent on teasing her, she decided to retaliate. 

"Good, thank you." She went down a step so their eyes were level and leaned in towards him. "I always find I sleep well after exercise."

She raised her eyebrow and looked over his shoulder to the doorman who was reading a newspaper, pretending not to listen.

"What's the alert status this morning?" She carried on.

"They sorted something out. You should be able to go home tonight." He leaned even closer to her, speaking in an undertone. "If you want to, that is."

"Fuck off." She whispered before turning and hopping up the stairs, two at a time.

It was a relief when she didn't hear footsteps behind her. She really needed to just get dressed and washed up right now, not be harassed by a very attractive hitman she just so happened to have slept with last night.

In the relative safety of her room she changed into her tacky maid outfit and pulled her messy hair back into an updo. As she made herself presentable with the limited resources she had brought with her, she hoped that Penguin was busy enough to not have noticed her absence. Hurrying back down the stairs, she noted that there wasn't anyone posted at the door anymore. Odd.

Upon her return to the living room, she drew back the curtains. Pulling back the curtains shed light on the disarray; wine glasses scattered over the floor, messy cushions and a grate full of ashes. She busied herself with tidying the room, making it look as though no-one had even been in the room last night, let alone slept there.

When everything was tidied she paused, looking over the newly-cleaned room with satisfaction. It was only when she stopped she noticed just how quiet the house was. Unusually quiet, even for this place. She was going to turn when someone accosted her from behind. A hand clamped over her mouth. Another wrapped tightly around her waist. She squealed but the only noise she made was muffled and useless.

"Hush, love." A rough voice said next to her ear and she shuddered away from it.

At the unfamiliar male voice at her ear she felt her stomach drop. Her vision blurred with fear and for a brief moment it felt like she was drowning. The hand tightening painfully around her waist kicked in her survival instincts and she started to beat her assailant. Her kicks didn't have any effect and she couldn't reach his groin, so she punched instead. She punched him until her hands tingled but his grip didn't even falter. The only thing her fighting seemed to be doing was making him loose her grip on her, but he would simply adjust his hands and she'd be in his grasp again.  

She was a Gotham girl but there was dread bubbling in her stomach. She knew that despite having escaped situations like this before, there was no way of winning a fight in which the other person already had the upper hand. And this person had taken her by surprise, as well as being massive and unwieldy.

Eventually the man gave up on dragging her, picking her up by her waist and carrying her to stop her from squirming from his grip. As he lifted her into the air, her stomach turned over and she felt sick. She kicked at him with the last ounces of strength her adrenaline had given her, but he simply wrapped a massive arm over her legs and she couldn't even move them. He shouldered his way into Penguin's office. She felt a brief bout of hope that perhaps Penguin, or, even better, his head of security was in the office but all she saw were three other strangers, all men. 

They all looked to Sylvia eagerly as he lowered her from his shoulder. Her dizziness hadn't subsided, so was grateful when one of the men pulled out Penguin's 'throne', dragging it towards her. The man who had assaulted her dropped her heavily into the chair, and through a kind of fog she felt the pain shoot up her spine. A hand on her shoulder pulled her upright and forced her hands behind her back, tying them together. Through the fog, her mind was racing. It profited her nothing to scream bloody murder right now. It would only anger her attackers and it didn't seem like any resident was left in the house anyway.

"Stay there." A man's voice ordered.

She nodded distantly, her lips pursing as she watched the scene before her. All four men were busy, some unpacking weapons while others nosed around Penguin's office. They seemed to know what they were doing. If her brain hadn't been numbed by fear, she would've wondered whether these were the men that had caused the alert last night. They had left her legs unbound. One of the men pulled out a comically oversized gun and the making a run for it plan was completely out of the question. 

She tried to form another plan when she heard a familiar voice down the hall. It got louder and louder until she saw the small, livid man hobble through the door. Penguin was shouting angrily at the man gripping his shoulder. Zsasz walked through the door behind him, flanked by two other men. At the sight of familair face she perked up in her chair, relief flooding through her body. Zsasz noticed her, but averted his eyes quickly. She felt her stomach drop, before she realised what he was doing. She sank back down in her chair, turning her face back into a blank mask. Zsasz had a plan and she wasn't going to ruin it. 

"Where is my security?!"

She tuned in to Penguin's rant and watched one of the men turn slowly to humour him.

"Out-cold on your doorstep." The man said arrogantly.

"They'll be worse than out-cold when I'm finished with them." Penguin hissed, his fist clenching and unclenching as he looked to Zsasz dependently.

While the other men were distracted with the newcomers, an assailant sidled up to her. He fiddled with the frills on the shoulder of her ridiculous uniform and pursed her lips, her hands clenching into fists behind her back. She didn't go mindless with fear now that Zsasz was in the room, but that didn't mean that she didn't have reason to fear them. She bit her tongue to distract herself, sharp enough to draw blood while glaring daggers at him. No-one noticed his attentions so the man grew bolder, passing to her front with his legs straddling her knees.

Hidden from his comrades, he smiled and his hand slid down from the frills on her shoulder to her chest. She froze, looking down at his hand then back up to his face which held an arrogant smirk. She mirrored his smile. Then she sharply kneed him in the groin, using her untied legs to hit him as hard as she could. He cried out and doubled over, every face turning away from Penguin to look back at him. There were a few seconds where the man rolled on the ground, Sylvia tried to look as innocent as she possibly could and the rest of the posse didn't know what to do. The men simply watched as a very embarassed man lifted himself from the ground. His cheek twitched before he reeled his hand back and punched Sylvia in the face.

Her head whipped to the side and she fell off of the chair onto the cold, unforgiving ground. Her head span. Her face felt like it was swelling to a hideous size and one side of it throbbed painfully. A hand on her shoulder pulled her upright, onto her knees and held onto her firmly as she swayed. Blood filled her mouth and she grimaced. Zsasz's hand clenched and his jaw shifted as he just watched. He refused to move but something murderous filtered into his eyes.

Having just seen an immediate threat of violence, Penguin finally seemed to think about his actions. He smoothed his suit and forced a smile.

"So, gentlemen. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"We want your empire."

Penguin started back, looking confused. Zsasz's brow also darkened and he crossed his arms over his chest. Her perception of the men suddenly shifted. These guys didn't know what they were doing. Did they think that an empire was like a trading card? Something you could just pass among your friends?

"Excuse me?" Penguin asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards.

"Your empire. You can hand it over or we'll kill everyone here. Starting with her."

The man asking the questions picked up one of their many guns and held it to her head.  She inhaled sharply through her nose, flinching against a shot that never came. Zsasz's upper body clenched but he still didn't move. Penguin laughed openly.

"You must be mistaken, gentlemen. This woman is my cleaner. She means nothing to me." Penguin said flippantly, waving his hand. "You can kill her."

At this, some of men looked to one another. Even the one demanding things paused and lowered his gun, an uneasy expression on his face.

"Cleaner?" He asked in an undertone over his shoulder.

"I don't know." One of the men shrugged, bouncing agitatedly on the balls of his feet. "You can see what she's wearing, I thought this was some sort of kinky-"

"Shut up." He interrupted him, looking annoyed. "Fine. We'll kill her."

He lowered his gun to point at her head again.

"Wait." Zsasz said, stepping forward.

The man swivelled to point his gun at Zsasz who lifted his hands into the air. Zsasz continued approaching him and the man didn't shoot as Zsasz got closer and closer.

"Who do you work for?" Zsasz asked. 

"As if I'd tell you." The man said defensively. 

"Doesn't matter." Zsasz shrugged. "I'm like you. Just a gun for hire." 

The man tipped his head, as if to ask 'your point?'. Zsasz's eyes flicked to her then back up to him.

"I know first blood is the best part. Wouldn't you want to start with someone more important?" Zsasz turned his head back to look at his boss. "Like Penguin, for example."

Penguin's mouth fell open and he scoffed.

"Or what about me? Be the one to off Victor Zsasz?" He challenged the man.

Zsasz was now face to face with the man who, despite holding the gun, seemed to be the one without any control over the situation.

"Besides, you should keep her around."

Zsasz carried on his one-sided conversation while looking down at Sylvia. His tongue darted over his lip and he knelt in front of her, a predatory expression on his face that made her heart skip, despite the situation. She knew it was all for show and that they were in very real, terrifying danger right now but when Zsasz got so close she couldn't help but get turned on.

"You could have a little fun with her." Zsasz muttered, winking at her.

She felt his hand run down her skirt and for a weird moment she thought that he was feeling her up. But then he reached for a very specific part of her apron and her panic dulled. He definitely had a plan.

"Nah." The man said spitefully, turning the gun from Zsasz back down to her. "I think I'll just kill her."

Zsasz shrugged and rolled his eyes.

"Wrong answer."

He darted up from his knees, flicked out her switchblade and stabbed it into the man's jugular. The man was dead almost instantaneously, his eyes going flat and lifeless and body landing heavily onto the floor. She paled, watching the corpse drop next to her. As he fell, Zsasz snatched the gun from his lifeless hand and scanned it over the rest of the men gathered. They looked to one another uneasily, searching for a new leader now that theirs was gone. None of them stepped forward so they were left aimless as they faced the deadly hitman.

"A deal, gentlemen." Zsasz proclaimed. "I let you walk free, and you tell everyone you meet not to mess with Penguin or his empire. Got it?"

He punctuated his question by cocking his gun. Every single one of them was holding a firearm of their own, but looked completely helpless as Zsasz pointed his at them. They hesitated and Zsasz fired the gun into the ceiling, making everyone flinch.

"Go, or I'll shoot you all where you stand."

At that, all of them gathered up their guns, supplies and equipment and left the room as quickly as possible. The moment they were all gone, Zsasz turned from the door and back to the tied up maid on the floor. 

"Why aren't you killing them?" Penguin spat angrily at Zsasz. "You can't just let them walk away, how do you think-"

He continued ranting again and Zsasz knelt in front of Sylvia, blocking him out. His dark eyes swallowed her and she felt breathless. She ignored the fact that there was a dead man next to her and a livid employer a few feet away.

"I want to see you like this more often." Zsasz muttered, reaching up and dragging his thumb over the side of her mouth.

It came back smudged with her blood and the metallic taste flooded her mouth again. Her eyes were trained on him as he lifted the thumb to his mouth and swiped it along his tongue. She shifted her jaw before she spoke, making sure that it was still functional. The joint popped and her cheek felt sore, but apart from that she could still speak. 

"What? Tied up and bloodied?" She asked, equally as softly.

"Yeah."

He leaned in and kissed her, his tongue running over hers. The silence was noticeable after so much angry yelling from Penguin. He pulled back and smiled, his hand running idly over her cheek.

"Victor." Penguin snapped and Zsasz angled his head towards the other man. "Do something! Check the perimeter or... something."

Zsasz's jaw shifted and he nodded, getting up from the floor. Penguin's head bounced between her and Zsasz, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish.

"Untie her first, Victor." Penguin said eventually, sounding utterly exasperated.

Zsasz stopped on his way to the door, turning back to Penguin. Seeing the small man's expression he sighed heavily and looked noticeably disappointed, but untied her anyway. She struggled to get her feet as Zsasz sloped off to check the rest of the house for intruders. She swiped at the side of her mouth, dried flecks of blood coming off on her hand.

"Sorry, sir." She said, propping herself back onto the chair that she had fallen from.

"Yeah. Maybe you shouldn't be so useless." Penguin said snarkily.

She couldn't help but smile at his harsh words. They couldn't hurt her anymore, they were just a projection of his own worries and insecurities. And he seemed to have plenty of those.

"Excuse me." Penguin said, hobbling past her. "I have some members of security to deal with."

She nodded and watched as he walked through the door. Shortly after, she followed him, determined to get out of the room that had a dead guy in it. She walked down the corridor and sat on the stairs. There were no members of security and no Penguin. She wondered where he'd taken them if, indeed, they'd been left on the doorstep at all. Slumping against the stairs, she rubbed at her sore jaw. Eventually Zsasz returned, coming to stand next to her on the stairs.

"All clear." He said, almost to himself.

She looked up at him and smiled, her hand still cradling her cheek. His expression darkened and he sat himself beside her on the stair, stretching his long legs in front of him.

"You alright?" He asked genuinely.

He pushed her hand from her face to see the soft purple of a bruise starting to spread across her cheek. From the colour, he could tell it was going to be so much worse the next morning. As he inspected the side of her face with worried eyes she felt a blooming warmth for him. She was quite fond of this new protective side of him.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"I'm glad you still had this on you." Zsasz pulled out her (now clean) switchblade from his jacket, handing it back to her. "They took all of my weapons."

"They assumed I wouldn't have any." She said, smiling to herself. 

"Never underestimate the maid." He commented, smirking.

"Never."

He leaned towards her and kissed her again. His hands dragged up her arms and settled on the back of her neck. As he kissed her, her mind raced. Those hands at her neck had just killed someone so easily in the other room. She pulled back abruptly.

"Can I be honest?" She said softly against his lips. "You scare me, Victor."

He withdrew, concern heavy in his eyes.

"But I don't want you to stop."


End file.
